Trainer's words today ...

MarsChallenge

So I joined a gym 2 weeks ago and have been going 3x a week, burning an average of 1400 (on spinning class days) to 800 on my own w/the arc training and some free weights. Pretty proud of myself and happy to see how much I can actually sweat. So with a new gym membership comes a free consultation with a personal trainer. it's free.. what the heck. basically she told me that w/out one on one training I will never see results or meet my goals. She said working out will make me feel great and that's about all unless I have a game plan and follow the watchful eye of a trainer 2 to 3x a week.
for $400+ a month.. I do not think so. If I had money to burn.. sure... but totally not in my budget.
What do you think? Is she right? .. any advise ? (I'd like to loose a good 15 lbs).

Acg67

that is nonsense, you can get great results without a trainer. i do think they may be useful to help some people learn how to do lifts correctly though. usually trainers spout lots of nutritional nonsense that is better ignored

szczepj

You can totally do it by yourself, they just want you to spend money.

joejccva71

Is there another gym you can go to? I wouldn't even go there anymore. Such nonsense.

AngChambers06

i would tell you that too if it were going to mean that you would pay me $400 a month lol

Flyntiggr

I work with a trainer, but that's because at the beginning I didn't have enough motivation on my own. We started with twice per week sessions, and are now down to one per week with a weekly group bootcamp. I find that now that I'm closer to my goal, she focuses more on the areas I tend to forget (or intentionally ignore ). I pay $40 per session, but have budgeted for it at this point (been going for 9 months).

cessnaholly

Don't waste your money - especially on someone like that. Even if you went with a a trainer, I'd pick someone a lot more supportive. Besides, there are always trainer tips and videos on you tube for free.

FearAnLoathing

I lost 62 pounds all by myself, she only makes money if she gets people to sign up with her so of course she would tell you that.

lrhodes49

I just joined on 9/16/11 and I just read your post. I think it's sad that they would tell you that. I believe that a good trainer would be able to show you how to work the machines and weights to give you the tools to achieve your goals. It's up to you to make this work just like for everyone else. I am rooting for you to meet you goal of 15lbs. I would like to lose 30lbs. Sad thing is I have lost it before and just gained it back over 3 years. Slow and steady wins the race. GOOD LUCK!

meeperoon

Utter nonsense! Wonder how many ppl that's worked on! Bet she's on commission! Plenty of people on here have lost tonnes of weight and I doubt they all hav personal trainers to see 3x a week!

ErrataCorrige

Waste of money. I went to a trainer because I was concerned with form and wanted help, and it was usless. He was 1/2 as hard on me as I was on myself, and I would have to go work out on my own afterwards. If you want motivation try group classes instead! Then you are motivated to keep up with people in better shape than you.

MrsVagus

That's her job and her opinion- I've known a lot of people that are successful without a trainer, and people who need that kind of help and support. When you're paying big money for something like that, you bet your bottom you're going to do it- monetary incentives can be huge.

Whatever you choose is fine as long as you stick with it!

MikeSEA

I liked working with my trainer because I didn't want to do anything with weights that was going hurt myself. Plus he was a nice guy and a motivator. He made me feel empowered by him, though, not dependent on him.

Lauren8239

What a fraud! You have only 15 lbs to lose and yet a trainer wants to charge you that, and also insult you into the bargain????
Have faith in yourself, you can do just fine on your own, and everyone here will support you, so you are never alone.

Contrarian

They always do that. Ignore it.

tararocks

yes there are benefits to working with a trainer, they keep you motivated, they can help you target specific areas, they can make sure you are lifting/using machine properly, if they are very good they can also give you nutritional tips, pre/post work-out foods and schedules etc. However, these are also things that are found easily through most fitness or nutrition websites, through consultations with your doctor, and from the free one on one that you had with her. I personally wouldn't spend that money monthly for her. Working on your own allows you to make it your committment on your time frame and with what works in your life, it forces you to find adaptations and make them. What happens when you stop seeing her if the only motivation you had was well im paying her and this is my scheduled time so i have to go....then you aren't doing it for yourself or learning how to adapt your own lifestyle, and you are not learning these things at a very expensive price. Just my thoughts..

H_Factor

So I joined a gym 2 weeks ago and have been going 3x a week, burning an average of 1400 (on spinning class days) to 800 on my own w/the arc training and some free weights. Pretty proud of myself and happy to see how much I can actually sweat. So with a new gym membership comes a free consultation with a personal trainer. it's free.. what the heck. basically she told me that w/out one on one training I will never see results or meet my goals. She said working out will make me feel great and that's about all unless I have a game plan and follow the watchful eye of a trainer 2 to 3x a week.
for $400+ a month.. I do not think so. If I had money to burn.. sure... but totally not in my budget.
What do you think? Is she right? .. any advise ? (I'd like to loose a good 15 lbs).

you can absolutely get great results without a trainer. of course, it doesn't hurt to check read some material on exercise and check out youtube videos and free sites such as bodyrock.tv for ideas and proper form.

also, I don't mean to discourage you in any means, but you might want to get a HRM (with a chest strap) to check actual calories burned. The only time I approached 1,400 calories burned is when I rode my bike for 2 1/2 hours. Anyway, I'm not trying to discourage you...obviously you are working hard...but I don't want you relying on an inaccurate number and then eating more than you should and not losing weight.

grimrpr

A trainer is not necessary. They are HELPFUL. but not necessary. Remember to mix up your exercises. Try new things. If you don't eventually your muscles will plateau and stop growing. THIS is when a trainer can say ok, lets try this...

Then again.. there is youtube. and bodybuilding.com has a huge exercises section with quick 30 second video's on HOW to do the exercises. Assuming you can get past the incredible hulk DOING the exercises..

MarsChallenge

mpbfmom

Sounds like a hard sales pitch to me! I work with a trainer and find it to be invaluable. And, he doesn't have that attitude that I can't do the work without him. Go for it on your own...it doesn't sound productive!

msjamartin

I've lost 130+ lbs on my own without a trainer. I just added a trainer once a week to work on my strength training specifically. He wanted me to do twice a week for a year, I committed to once a week for 6 months. No way could I afford more but I felt that I needed it to take me to the next level and finish my last 60lbs. They of course want more time with you as this is their livelyhood. A good trainer will give you their opinion on what they would like you to do but will also understand what you are able to commit to financially and time.

You can do it on your own. You can do it with a trainer. You can add in group sessions.

I do agree you need a plan and a focus, however you don't have to have a trainer to create that plan.

MarsChallenge

I do have a polar hrm .. and love it. That day was 20 mins on the arc, 45 mins of spinning, and then about 30+ mins of abs w/ a stability ball.

Egger29

As a Trainer myself, I can say that the majority of Big Box gyms like that which offer a free consult do so with the only intent to sell you training, usually with a generic program that's given to everyone.

I've worked in few places where honestly their primary mandate was "to make the workouts fun" rather than have them see results. needless to day, our philosophies didn't match.

There are alot of bad trainers on there, so don't be taken in by a sales pitch or guilt pressure.

In my experience, the best trainers as the ones who share their knowledge hands on and show you differences so that you naturally WANT to work with them on a "Personal" level (pun intended). If you want a coach, you'll find one that's right for you when you're actually looking for something specific....not when they gym is pressuring you to spend money.

Cheers!

LeslieAJ

Don't fall for it. I lost 72 pounds on my own using walking and DVD workouts for my daily exercise. Of course, 80% is diet and I was tracking my meals as well. I joined a gym hoping to pick up some pointers and keep myself motivated. I was given exactly the same speech. I took an offer for 7 personal trainer workouts at a reduced rate with my membership. I liked the trainer, but he did not teach me anything new. I specifically wanted to improve my swimming, and was told the trainer would work with me in the pool for my 7 hours. He had excuses every time, and we did weights, treadmills, and track exercises, but not once in the pool. I ended up not renewing the membership when it expired. I took a C25K class this summer instead, and really learned a lot from the running coach. I think individual classes which are relatively inexpensive through public schools and community colleges are probably much better for the budget and meeting individual goals for fitness. Good Luck!

7memyselfandI

A trainer certainly can help, but if you are motivated enough on your own, go for it!! Sometimes the motivation of a friend or workout buddy works just as well.

Benji49

Not sure about your area, but where I live the local rec centre has a workout room. When you sign up to join they make you sign up for a 1 hour session where they show you how to use the machines. Other than that you have all the access you want to the machines, the track and the pool! You just have to pay your membership fee once a year and they have a sliding scale of fees.

ShannonMpls

I can't believe trainers say this crap. I'd never hire a trainer who told me I wouldn't see results without forking over $400 a month. Ridiculous.

I do have a trainer who I see twice a month to make it affordable, and I find it very useful and I know I'm doing more than I would otherwise. But having a trainer is a TOOL, not a requirement!

marie_2454

That's total crap...I got a free personal training session (actually 4), and my trainer set up a workout for me so that I know what to do, how much to lift, how often, and have proper form so that I can do it on my own. You so don't need a trainer for every time you work out to see results. Good luck!

iamlegion714

how much does $400 dollars weigh? you would be guaranteed to lose that a month...

ninerbuff

So I joined a gym 2 weeks ago and have been going 3x a week, burning an average of 1400 (on spinning class days) to 800 on my own w/the arc training and some free weights. Pretty proud of myself and happy to see how much I can actually sweat. So with a new gym membership comes a free consultation with a personal trainer. it's free.. what the heck. basically she told me that w/out one on one training I will never see results or meet my goals. She said working out will make me feel great and that's about all unless I have a game plan and follow the watchful eye of a trainer 2 to 3x a week.
for $400+ a month.. I do not think so. If I had money to burn.. sure... but totally not in my budget.
What do you think? Is she right? .. any advise ? (I'd like to loose a good 15 lbs).

As a PT myself this is full of BS. Scare tactics like this is an unprofessional way to conduct business. You know how I get my clients? When others see the results my other clients are getting, I get asked to train them. You can get lots of free advice on the internet and here. The only thing you won't get is the physical pushing and encouragement while working out and the observation to see if your form is correct. Prove her wrong.